FIG. 1 shows a Media Transmission System 100 of the prior art, including a Media Server Subsystem 102 which is connected to Mobile Units 104 over a Network 106, for example the Internet.
Each Mobile Unit 104 may, for example, be a smart phone or a laptop computer equipped to set up a media session.
The Media Server Subsystem 102 may include a Media Server computing device 108 for generating the media file, an Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) Server computing device 110 for processing media files, and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Proxy Server computing device 112 for handling requests from the Mobile Units, or terminals, 104 and to perform other functions.
A media session may be requested by the Mobile Unit 104. The purpose of the media session is to send a stream of media packets (a media file) from the Media Server Subsystem 102 to the Mobile Unit 104.
When the bandwidth of the connection over the Network 106 between a requesting Mobile Unit 104 and the Media Server Subsystem 102 is lower than the bandwidth required to send the original media file in real time, the media file may then be adapted to the lower bandwidth by equipment located in the ICAP Server 110 which is typically an adjunct of the HTTP Proxy Server 112.
The bandwidth of the connection over the Network 106 may also vary in time which poses additional problems for the adaptation of the media file.
Accordingly, a method and system to improve the bandwidth adaptation of media files for transmission over connections with varying bandwidth are required.